


Not an Option

by Jude_ABG



Series: Superbat Brainstorm [4]
Category: Batman - All Media Types, Superman - All Media Types
Genre: Angst, Hanahaki Disease, Hurt, M/M, Petal Disease, short fic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-09-18
Updated: 2019-09-18
Packaged: 2020-10-21 05:16:18
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,179
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20688113
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Jude_ABG/pseuds/Jude_ABG
Summary: Clark lost something important to him and didn't even notice when it happened.





	Not an Option

**Hanahaki Disease is an illness born from unconfessed love.**  
The individual will cough flower petals and have trouble breathing. It is a growing infection of vines that will wrap around the lungs.  
It will only be cured when the patient confesses their true feelings to the loved one.  
The infection can also be removed through surgery, though the feelings will disappear along with the vines.  
If prolonged, it can become lethal.

Clark liked the satisfying feeling of getting things done. It didn't matter if it was a work assignment or a league mission. It felt good taking items off his mental checklist.

After a week long journey to another galaxy, the League just wanted to catch up with what they had missed on Earth. The only one that had stayed on the planet was Batman. For some reason he had preferred to stay out of that mission. In fact, he had been out of a lot of missions those last few months.

The kryptonian walked down the Watchtower corridors, towards the JLA founder's secret rooms. He knew that's where he would find his broody best friend. He couldn't wait to tell how unexpectedly peaceful the job had been.

Kal felt his phone buzz. It was Lois, answering his own message. As soon as the team had landed on the Tower, he had texted her. Clark was glad his wife was so understanding. She never stopped him from going to long missions, not a single one. Lois didn't like it, of course, but usually the time they spent apart only contributed to the happiness of the return.

The corridor to the rooms was unusually dark and quiet. Clark quickened his pace, wanting to reach the last door (that of course belonged to the most reserved member).  
However, something caught his attention.

There was a piece of paper stuck on the door. It looked odd, such a simple opaque thing compared to the shiny and metallic surfaces of the Watchtower. Approaching it, Kal saw the distinct curves of Bruce's handwriting.  
"Clark, don't come in"

The kryptonian frowned, feeling his good humor vanishing. There was a weird instinct telling him something was wrong.

Clark started to worry. He knew he should stop and think. He should call Diana, who was only a few floors up, on the hangar. Ask her what she thought they should do. But there was this feeling inside him that was too sour, too anxious to ignore.

There was no point trying to look and hear through the walls. Batman had made those rooms to be completely private, that also meant peek proof. The door, however wasn't kryptonian proof.

*

The second he broke the lock, Clark realized the course of his life was about to change.

There was something in the air.  
That's the first thing that hit Kal. This weird scent, that would be sweet and pleasant if there wasn't a strong rusty smell alongside it. It was all over the dark room, making the kryptonian a little nauseated.

It didn't take long to find out where it came from. On the floor, next to his red boots, there was a petal. Clark kneeled and picked it up. It was a rose petal, red and fresh, as if it had just been plucked out of a flower, but there was dried blood on the corner of it. It was somehow grim to see. If it was just this one, the man would find it a little odd, but he could see many more of them around the floor, going as far as the light of the corridor allowed him to see. There was blood in most of them.

"Oh, no…" Kal whispered, understanding dawning on him.

Feeling his body start to tremble, he took a few steps, entering the shadows. When his eyes had time to adjust, the kryptonian could see perfectly in the dark. However, he knew he had to walk away. He shouldn't look, Bruce had asked him not to, but he couldn't stop himself.

And there it was.  
Kal felt himself start trembling, the breath he didn't need to survive get stuck in his throat. Even the colors of the world seemed to vanish that second.

There, on the bed, laid Bruce. His body was hidden by a thin blanket, but his raven hair was visible. There were petals, even a few leaves, all around him. On the floor, a blood covered cloth had been abandoned.  
Clark couldn't see Wayne's face from where he stood, but he didn't need to. The stillness of the scene, the cold that creeped up the kryptonian's spine told him everything. Even the scent had become too obvious: everything smelled of death.

"No, no, no, no… Bruce" whispered Clark, walking unsteadily towards the bed. "Please, please, don't do this!"

Kneeling on the ground, Kal ran his hand through the soft hair of his friend, fingers brushing the cold skin of the cheeks. He waited, praying to Rao for something, but got no reaction out of it. No groan, no flinch. Nothing.

If Clark didn't know better, he would think Bruce was just sleeping. He would underestimate how unreachable the detective truly was.

"No" groaned Kal, tears rolling down his wide eyes. "No, don't do this to me… No, please…"

He wouldn't get a reaction. He would never get a reaction out of his best friend again.

"NO!" screamed Clark. He felt terribly weak. He fell on the ground next to the bed. Cold red petals stuck on his shaky arms.

Hurried feet were heard after that. Steps approaching the corridor. They would soon reach the room. Clark couldn't bring himself to care though.  
He had lost something important to him and hadn't even noticed when it happened.

*****

_"Clark,_

_I only had two real choices. To die in the operation, because of my bad health, or to die of love. I made a choice and forgave myself for it. _

_I hope you deliver all the letters I wrote. They are my last words after all. I know some of my children will want to destroy theirs in a fit of rage (like Jason, who will act on impulsivity and regret later) so there's a copy of every letter in my computer too._

_Tell Lois I apologize. I won't be able to make it to that exclusive interview with your wife after all._

_Please, take care of Alfred for me"_

(On a second page, written in calligraphy so little it looked like a whispered secret being pulled out of someone)

_"Kal,_

_I know you entered the room. I wrote that note trying to avoid that, but you're too stubborn. Try to remember me at the moments we spent together, not like that._

_I should've told you when I had the chance._  
You are the best person I've ever met. You brought light to my life in a way I didn't think was possible. I'm thankful for having known you.

_I had some loves in my life, but you're the only one I was ever willing to die for.”_

_Please, forgive me"_

**Author's Note:**

> Like I said before: english is not my first language. Usually I don't repeat myself, but that fic was written by a deeply sleep-deprived person xD
> 
> Thanks for reading. Feel free to leave comments.


End file.
